Assistant Secretary Sweeney on Capitol Hill for first Indian Country budget hearing

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

By Acee Agoyo

• WEBCAST: Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education

Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney is heading back to Capitol Hill for her second hearing as the Trump administration's face of Indian policy.

Sweeney will be testifying about the fiscal year 2020 budget request for the the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education on Tuesday morning. The request is unique in that is seeks separate funding for the two agencies for the first time.

"Our rationale for doing so is to address the cumbersome processes by which simple, yet critical, operations are implemented within the BIE school system," Sweeney states in her written testimony to the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

I am looking forward to testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies tomorrow (4/30/19) at 10 AM ET. https://t.co/aSVyLcHKX3
— Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney (@ASIndianAffairs) April 29, 2019

"Early in my tenure as the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, my staff and I determined the BIE has not been sufficiently empowered to manage its own operation and maintenance functions," Sweeney continues. "This is a key contributing factor to our Native students experiencing subpar education and unacceptable school conditions."

But, overall, President Donald Trump has proposed to cut nearly $300 million from the BIA and the BIE. Members of the subcommittee -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- have said they will work to ensure Indian Country does not get left behind.

"Congress must not take our treaty and trust responsibilities lightly," Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota), the chair of the House subcommittee, said as she welcomed dozens of Indian Country leaders to the nation's capital for a round of budget hearings last month. "Congress needs to figure out how we can best fulfill our duties, given the limited funds we have to work with, and how to make those funds grow and work more effectively for you."

"Like many colleagues in Congress, I recognize that upholding the tribal trust responsibility is shared by all members of Congress, regardless of the Congressional district," said Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), the ranking Republican on the panel.

Tuesday's hearing takes place at 10am Eastern in Room 2008 of the Rayburn House Office Building and it will be webcast. Sweeney is the sole witness but will be accompanied by Tony Dearman, the director of the Bureau of Indian Education, and Johnna Blackhair, the acting deputy director of trust services at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Sweeney was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in June 2018. She is the first Alaska Native woman to serve in the position, a political one at the Department of the Interior.

During her confirmation process, Sweeney vowed to appear before Congress when asked. Despite the pledge, she didn't make her first appearance on Capitol Hill until last month, and was forced to apologize for submitting her testimony late to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

The hearing on Tuesday is Sweeney's first on the budget.

.@IndianCommittee, thank you for having me to discuss community development in Indian Country today. More info here: https://t.co/MVGxvixdk4 pic.twitter.com/8pHNa5nJqA
— Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney (@ASIndianAffairs) April 10, 2019